KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur High Court has directed the government and a police officer involved in the shooting of Norizan Salleh to pay the victim RM200,000 in compensation and RM100,000 for other damages incurred. Judge Datuk Hue Siew Kheng said the demand was meted out as a lesson to civil servants, especially policemen, not to take their profession for granted.

The High Court judge ruled that the shooting was “unlawful and unjustified”. She said evidence showed that the police officers had fired into the car instead of the air as claimed.

Norizan’s lawyer, N Surendran, said: “The judge awarded Norizan RM50,000 in general damages for pain and suffering, RM50,000 for assault and battery and RM18,326 in special damages. Another RM200,000 was awarded in the interests of the public.”

Norizan, 34, had filed a suit against the police and the government for assault and battery in October 2012 and named the Sentul police chief, Inspector-General of Police and a police officer as defendants.

In her statement of claim, she said that at 4am on Oct 30, 2009, a police patrol approached the car in which she was a passenger and that the police officer suddenly opened fire, injuring her wrist, arm and chest.

She claimed that when the car stopped, she tried to get out but was kicked back into the vehicle. She claimed that she was stepped on when she crawled out of the vehicle.

She was then taken to Hospital Kuala Lumpur where she underwent surgery.

Norizan said she also had surgery at the National Heart Institute, where a bullet was removed from her lung.

On Nov 11, 2009, she made a report at the Kepong police station, claiming the defendants assaulted her.

Surendran said: “What is interesting is the court ruled that the police’s action of firing repeatedly was unjustified. We hope the police will take another look at this case and conduct a study in the procedure on the use of firearms. This judgment should be a reference because there [has been] no such case before,” he said.

“What is questionable is that no policeman was charged for what happened to Norizan. We urge that a criminal investigation should be launched against the cop involved,” he said.

Outside the court yesterday, Norizan said she was relieved with the court’s decision which has cleared her name in the eyes of society.

She said that although the policeman was not hauled up to court, the decision had proved that she was not in the wrong. “I am grateful because ... I was painted as the guilty party. A lot of people were talking negatively about the matter but today it has been proven that I am not guilty in this case.” — The Malaysian Insider


This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on September 5, 2014.